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This image shows some of the cratered terrain of Venus.
Click on image for full size NASA/JPL

Venus Cratered Terrain

This is an example of cratered ground on Venus.

Venusian craters are a little unusual in that there is a large amount of melted ground around the crater. This may mean that when something hits the surface of Venus, because Venus is already very hot, the impact can melt the surface near the crater.

The other unusual feature of craters on Venus is that the entire surface of Venus seems to have the same amount of craters as that on the Earth's surface (about 900 craters). Since we know that the Earth has an active and young surface, which wipes out craters before too much time goes by, this piece of evidence about Venus suggests that the surface of Venus is active too.

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